Calhoun sheriff's office gets Homeland Security grant

PORT LAVACA - The Calhoun County Sheriff's Department has received a grant to help buy more cars and increase drug investigations.

The sheriff's department has just received $229,204 from Operation Stonegarden Grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Calhoun County Sheriff B.B. Browning said.

About half of the money will be used to purchase vehicles, while the other half will go to overtime for officers working drug investigations.

Browning noted they have had a longstanding problem with drug trafficking as people move drugs from the border up to Houston. Whenever law enforcement is paying more attention to U.S. Highways 59 and 77, drug runners start using state Highway 35, Browning said.

He said he's thrilled to have the extra funds because it will allow him to get his officers out in the county, focused on the drug problem.

"We just don't have the manpower to be out there working on the drug problem when there are other things going on in the county," Browning said. "This will give us that extra time to get out and get after these people."